


The Aftermath

by MadeOfStardustAndOreos



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Adorable FitzSimmons (Agents of SHIELD), F/M, Fluff and Angst, Jemma Simmons Needs a Hug, Post-Season/Series 03, Season 3 Finale, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:41:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23571019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadeOfStardustAndOreos/pseuds/MadeOfStardustAndOreos
Summary: "What now?" Jemma asked.___The immediate aftermath of season 3 — FitzSimmons fall asleep together for the first time as a couple, but for all the wrong reasons.
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons
Comments: 8
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just an idea I had that needed to be written. Might turn it into a series that explores how FitzSimmons get from here, falling asleep together as a couple for the first time, to that short scene in S4E1 where they share a bed, a room and it's completely natural.

The day was over, the battle was won, and yet Jemma Simmons couldn’t find it in herself to feel successful. Hive was gone, but her mind kept travelling back to all they’d lost, Koenig, Tripp, and now Lincoln, who’d already lost so much. 

The trip back to base was difficult, especially when Daisy’s sobs wouldn’t stop and Jemma didn’t know how to make her pain go away. It was hard to be a shoulder to cry on when she couldn’t stop crying herself.

They hadn’t known Lincoln long, but he fit right into their lab when he wanted to, and Jemma even imagined, far away in the future, him and Daisy going on double dates with her and Fitz. The chances of that happening were slim as is, what with their never-ending schedule, but the odds were impossible now that he was—

She didn’t want to think of it. 

She didn’t want to imagine that Lincoln was paying for all their mistakes. They’d chased after Ward, and now Hive, for longer than she thought possible, and now Lincoln was dead because of it. 

Overwhelmed, another sob escaped and she burrowed further into Fitz’s shoulder. Safely strapped into the Zephyr and heading back to base for now. They were a mirror image of the other night, their fingers tightly interlaced and her head fitting perfectly in the nook of his shoulder. A teardrop slid between their fingers, Fitz crying too, but trying to stay strong for her sake. 

Even though Lincoln was the only person she should’ve been thinking of, her mind couldn’t stop trailing back to the man beside her. Was that wrong? It could’ve been him up there, gone forever, and her sobbing uncontrollably on the floor like Daisy was. She knew he felt the same, otherwise those charming baby blues of his wouldn’t have been so filled with sadness. Without words, she knew they had reached an understanding now. 

This was it for them. She wasn’t going to let anything else drag them apart, not the depths of the Atlantic, not space rocks and definitely not the devil himself. No going back. 

With a lurch, the Zephyr landed and Fitz nudged her into moving. She glanced back at Daisy, afraid to leave her, but Coulson was beside her on the floor, rubbing comfort into her back. He gave a short nod, and the rest departed. Mack’s tall shoulders seemed heavier than before, a new crushing weight to them. She held tighter to Fitz’s hand. 

They made their way back into the base, May giving a quiet, “Get some rest,” before disappearing into her own form of grief. She looked as she always did, stronger than the rest, but hiding a deep well of darkness inside. 

Jemma didn’t really know where they were going, just that Fitz was leading her. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the few remaining agents giving them questioning looks, but no one stopped them. 

Vaguely she recognized her bedroom door. Though she was probably gross from their long day, all she wanted to do was sleep, no matter how fitful it would be. She could already imagine the nightmares her mind would cook up. Hive, with Ward’s terrible, awful face, making a victim of Fitz and all her friends. 

Blindly, she shrugged off her jacket, Fitz coming to her side to help her. She sat heavily on the bed, pulling her hair out of its pony. “Shoes, Jemma,” Fitz said quietly.  _ Right _ . Her shoes. She toed them off, and started on her pants. Ever the awkward scientist, Fitz turned around. In her dresser, she found some of his old t-shirts that she’d taken over the years and tossed him one, keeping another for herself. They dressed in silence. 

Just the other night, they were crossing the event horizon, as Fitz would put it. It had been perfect, lovely, just how Jemma hoped. She tried not to think about how normal couples would spend the night in the hotel room afterward, tucked under blankets and never close enough. Their night had ended by returning to the quinjet, where they continued back to base so they could find a way to stop a demon from another planet who was inhabiting the body of the man who’d betrayed them and sent them to the bottom of the Atlantic. It wasn’t normal. 

They hadn’t had a chance since then, to actually sleep together, beside each other. Tonight was that night, for all the wrong reasons. 

Jemma crawled into bed, Fitz taking up the space she’d always unconsciously reserved for him. He flicked out the light. Then it was just them, in bed. Together. 

Despite the ten years between them, they’d never actually shared a bed like this. Like they were a couple. At the academy, when exhaustion overpowered homework, they’d fall asleep in study positions and wake awkwardly wrapped together in the morning. When they shared their first apartment during sci-ops, their rooms were separate, though the occasional late night breakthrough left them worn out enough to collapse on the floor. Even when on assignment, they’d been careful to not share a bed. She should’ve seen his gallant insistence at sleeping on the floor for what it was. 

This time it was different. This time they actively chose to sleep together, to be close to one another and share another part of themselves that was still kept hidden. Jemma knew how Fitz slept. Knew he snored slightly, slept like a rock and liked to cuddle though he’d never admit it. Would it be different with her here?

Jemma rolled over to face him in the darkness. He was already watching her, his eyes caught in another fit of romantics. How had she not seen how much he loved her? In sync, they reached for each other’s hands and held tight. He reached forward to kiss hers, warming them because he knew they’d be cold. She wiggled a grateful leg between his own, scooting nearer. He released one hand to wrap his arm around her back, hugging her tight. 

It was natural, the way they found each other. Tucked against Fitz, it was easy to forget the trauma of the day. Easy to forget how Lincoln had sacrificed himself for Daisy. How Fitz had looked at her, asking her to understand that he’d do the same for her, over and over. And he had. 

But that was a conversation for another time, another night when her mind was clearer. All she wanted to do now was have Fitz hold her so she could fall asleep in his arms. 

“Good night, Fitz,” she whispered. 

“Good night, Jemma,” he returned, the usual love and care he put into saying her name stronger than ever. 

And slowly, Jemma Simmons fell asleep. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fitz and Simmons adjust to their new normal. Which means sneaking around so no one, and by no one they mean Daisy, catches them sleeping together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2! A bit lighter, more fun, hopefully. Enjoy!

“This isn’t working,” Fitz said with a sigh. They’d been trying to find a cure for Radcliffe’s primitives, in the hopes that something, anything could bring these people back to normal. “We’ve tried everything, Jemma.” She was beside him in the lab, measuring samples and running tests. 

They knew when they started that this was fruitless research. Radcliffe had told them there wasn’t a cure, and he may have helped Hive and done terrible things, but Fitz still trusted his brain. 

At least it gave them something to do. The last thing they wanted was time for their minds to wander, to think about Lincoln. It had only been a couple days, but the base felt stranger already. Daisy still wasn’t herself. Fitz wasn’t sure she’d ever be herself again. 

He glanced at the clock. There was another thing they were avoiding. Despite being an official couple for over a week now, they hadn’t exactly declared it to the rest of the team. Or Daisy, who’d normally be over the moon over such a development. It seemed wrong to…  _ flaunt  _ a relationship in front of her, when her own had just ended on the worst terms. Even if they weren't flaunting. Fitz just wanted to go to bed with his girlfriend. 

But Jemma insisted they keep it quiet. So they were left to stare at the clock and wait for everyone else to go to bed. 

“You know… it’s not like we don’t hang out in each other’s rooms all the time anyway,” Fitz whispered. Jemma glanced at the agents around them, her eyes wide. 

Then she was glaring at him. They’d had this argument before. Thankfully, their arguments usually happened too quickly for anyone else to keep track of what they were saying. 

“I’ve told you,  _ Leo _ , if—”

“—if Mack sees us, I know—”

  
“—He’ll assume we’re _not_ hanging out, and then he’ll no doubt tell Daisy to cheer her up—”

“—but it will actually just make her upset,  _ I know _ .” He tried to keep the exasperation out of his voice, even though it was pointless. One of the other lab techs eyed them, but passed it off as another one of their circular arguments. 

Jemma started to tidy her workspace. “I just hate sneaking around,” Fitz said quietly, “Especially ‘cause you’re so bad at lying.” She kicked him under the table. He deserved that. 

She started closing tabs on her computer. “You’ll remember who went undercover at Hydra for months, or you’ll be sleeping on your own,” she said, softening her voice for that last part. Fitz smirked. It was a sore point in their relationship, but it didn’t hurt nearly as much now. 

Jemma finished tidying up her station and turned back to Fitz, still leaning against the counter. “Your bunk or mine?” she whispered. 

“Mine,” he said, grinning. 

“Good night, Dr. Fitz,” she said louder, all decorum and professionalism. Nodding, she left the lab. Fitz watched her go. 

“Good night, Dr. Simmons.” She was tricky, that Jemma Simmons. As his best friend, his  _ girlfriend _ , she knew just what to do to annoy him. Now he’d have to wait another ten minutes to leave, and patience was not his strong suit. He fiddled with some of his gadgets, logging potential improvements in the back of his mind. 

Jemma Simmons, his girlfriend. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops, declare it to the universe that he and the most perfect woman were in love. Of course, he really only wanted to tell his friends. Which, now that he thought about it, really only consisted of Daisy. 

Mack likely knew. Bobbi and Hunter were god-knows-where. Lincoln was dead. Koenig was dead. Tripp was dead. Ward was a traitor, and dead. 

Fitz needed more friends. Or a job where his friends didn’t disappear (or worse) so often. 

Seeing that almost ten minutes had passed, Fitz stretched and left the lab, flicking off the lights as he went. The thought of Jemma only wearing his t-shirt made him move faster down the hallway towards their bunks. He glanced down the hall once, just to make sure he wouldn’t be seen and reached for his doorknob. 

“Fitz!” Daisy called. He spun around, trying his best to look innocent. 

“Daisy! Hi! What— what’s up?” Daisy stared at him, and for a moment, Fitz felt like he had his friend back. The dark circles under her eyes and the slowness of her movements proved otherwise. 

“I just…” Daisy trailed off. She shook herself and tried again, “Do you want to play Call of Duty with me? I’d ask Mack, but he’s asleep already. And that seems to be the last thing I can do right now, so…” 

His traitorous brain dreamed up images of Jemma behind the door. Her t-shirt riding up a bit to reveal milky white skin. The cool spread of her fingers, and the comfortable warmth he always found with her in his arms. 

He let go of the doorknob. “Sure. I’ll grab us some beers.” 

* * * 

Two hours later, Fitz’s brain was imagining far worse fates for him behind his bedroom door. An angry Jemma, slamming the door in his face. Jemma throwing his clothes out of her room. A Jemma who’d ignore him for a week in the lab, and Fitz would have to resort to sleeping in his own room again, alone, with his bed that seemed to be getting less and less comfortable. 

“Got ‘em!” Daisy cheered. “C’mon Fitz, keep up.” She punched him in the arm. That girl did not know her own strength. He grunted half a response. 

The beers had only made him sleepier and he was struggling to keep track of what was happening in the game. He didn’t want to leave Daisy, though. This was the first normal thing she’d done in a week and if he just held on for a bit longer… 

He slammed his eyelids open again. They kept falling. Vaguely he caught Daisy selecting the save and exit button on the screen. The clink of beer bottles woke him up fully and he sat up. When had he laid down? A glance at the clock told him another ten minutes had passed. Jemma would be livid at this point. She’d be calling him Leo for the rest of his life.

“C’mon, Fitzy. Time for bed,” Daisy said. Her face was right in front of him, but she sounded so far away… Then he was being dragged to his feet, Daisy shrugging his arm over her shoulder. They staggered out of the room, Daisy’s chuckles vibrating his side. “You really went overboard on the beers, didn’t you? Simmons is gonna be sooooo mad…” She dissolved into another fit of giggles. Did the hallway always move like that? 

Somehow his hand found her face and dragged his fingers down it. “Shhhh, Daisy. Don’t tell Simmons. She’s already mad at me for not sleeping with her…” Why was his voice so loud? 

Daisy’s giggles turned into raucous laughter. “Sleeping with Simmons?” They nearly fell into a wall. “My dreams are coming true!” Daisy shouted with glee. 

“No no no no no, you’re not supposed to know that!” Fitz said, wiggling out of her arms to put both his hands on her shoulders. He tried to stop her giggles with a hand over her mouth, but it didn’t work. 

“Why not?” Daisy asked, her voice muffled. 

Fitz nodded heavily, “Because… Simmons said— she said, it will make you sad.” He poked her in the chest for emphasis. “Because Lincoln is gone.” Daisy had gone quiet, and very still. “That’s what she said.” 

Daisy pulled his arms off her shoulders. Her eyes had gone cold and dark again. She started to walk away, Fitz nearly falling over with the loss of support. “Daisy wait!” he called. She didn’t turn back. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, though she didn’t hear it. 

Somehow he made his way to his bunk. He nearly crashed into the room. No point in being quiet when Simmons would surely have gone to her own room by now.  _ Ugh _ , he was such a bad boyfriend. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he stripped off his clothes, leaving them on the floor. Simmons would scold him for it, but it didn’t matter now, did it! 

He moved to his bed, expecting empty sheets, but there was a rather large lump in the middle of it, curled into the blankets. Jemma’s hair was spread out over the pillow, her hand tightly wrapped around the blanket. It was such a welcome sight that Fitz almost cried. 

He gently pulled back the blankets, trying very hard not to disturb her. Alas, her whispered, “Fitz…” made him freeze. 

He tried again as she rolled over, releasing the captured blankets. “Sorry, Jemma. Daisy wanted to play call of duty and I couldn’t say no and then I had too many beers and suddenly it was almost two in the morning and you were gonna be so mad and—” Her arm snaked its way out of the blankets and smacked him in the face. He’d blame it on fatigue. 

“Just hold me,” she whispered. Fitz need no prompting. He climbed under the blankets and wrapped an arm around her side, pulling her close. Even though her hair tickled his nose, he buried his face in the crook of her neck. She sighed contentedly, her breaths evening out as she fell asleep. 

“Good night, Simmons,” he whispered. He ignored his conversation (if you could call it that) with Daisy and held Jemma, easily falling into a peaceful sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> This was sadder than I intended sorry but hope you enjoyed!


End file.
